Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia cont.

Hi again,

This week I would like to show you some results we have been getting in our labs, specifically relating to respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Remember RSA is the variation in heart rate during inspiration and expiration, and shows the effect of breathing on cardiovascular control. Actually what RSA is showing is the level of parasympathetic control over the cardiovascular system. Sympathetic control should only be active in times of stress such as fight or flight, but because of the way we live our lives and more importantly because of the way we breathe, we can stay in a state of high stress demonstrated by low RSA.

I have been working in the lab with Dr Dave Green from Kings College London and we have been looking into the effects of youbreathe use on the cardiovascular system. If you look at the graphs below, the top one shows a fit guy, but his RSA is low (see there is no regular pattern in the bottom line relative to the top line).

Now compare that to the trace below. This guy is not as fit, but trains regularly with youbreathe, and you can see the high regularity between the two lines.

This is a very important finding and a sign of the long term benefits of youbreathe use on cardiovascular health.

We are continuing with this research which we will publish in due course. Please read my previous posts for a full description of the kinds of physical symptoms we are talking about today.

See you all next time.